[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Egypt and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Egypt Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to egypt@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
Political Rights
Civil society organizations, activists targeted by 2-month-long hacking campaign Human rights organizations and activists have been subject to a sophisticated two-month-long hacking campaign, according to a report published by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights on Thursday.
Egyptian NGO files lawsuit to effectively repeal century-old assembly law The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court to halt the implementation of a century-old Assembly Law that it found has been repealed eighty-nine years ago by Egypt`s parliament, according to its press statement on Tuesday.
5 ultras detained ahead of anniversary of Port Said stadium tragedy The prosecution detained five members of Ahly Football Club fan group, the Ultras Ahlawy, for fifteen days pending investigations on Monday, just two days before the group plans to commemorate the anniversary of the Port Said stadium tragedy.
Update: 3 more ultras detained in connection to anniversary of Port Said stadium tragedy Three additional members of the Ultras Ahlawy, Ahly Football Club’s hardcore fan group, were charged with protesting and joining an outlawed organization on Friday, 3 February, in connection with the fifth anniversary of the 2012 Port Said stadium tragedy.
`Ultras Ahlawy` cancel memorial event for victims of Port Said violence The Ahly SC fan group “Ultras Ahlawy” announced late Tuesday that it will not hold a memorial this year for over seventy fans killed in the deadly Port Said violence in 2012 after arrests and restrictions imposed by the interior ministry over the past days, according to its statement.
At least 80 ultras arrested on anniversary of Port Said stadium tragedy At least eighty members of the Ahly Football Club’s hardcore fan group were arrested by security forces on Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the Port Said stadium tragedy in 2012, according to lawyer Mokhtar Mounir.
Itinerant teachers stage protest to demand posts in their home governorates Dozens of itinerant public school teachers gathered outside the Education Ministry on Wednesday, demanding to be assigned to schools in their home governorates in protest of the burdensome transport fees and long commutes they face.
A disintegrating coalition: Rifts re-emerge after Dostour Party’s default leadership election Rifts have re-emerged within the Dostour Party only days after the party announced that journalist and former party spokesperson Khaled Dawoud had been elected president by default, in light of the absence of other nominations for the position.
Former Egyptian press syndicate head Rashwan to run for his previous post The former head of Egypt`s press syndicate Diaa Rashwan announced on Sunday that he will be running for syndicate head in the March elections.
Egypt court acquits lawyers charged with demonstrating against Red sea islands agreement An Egyptian court acquitted on Saturday twelve lawyers charged with spreading rumors and protesting against the controversial maritime border demarcation agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Tiran and Sanafir: Who will write the final chapter? There was jubilation over Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court’s 16 January ruling not to transfer sovereignty over Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
Church bombing death toll rises to 29 - agency The death toll of the St. Peter and St. Paul church bombing in December increased to twenty-nine after the death of fourteen-year-old Dimyana Amir.
Court ruling granting Copts paid vacation for Jerusalem pilgrimage a victory for equality: Lawyer Egyptian Christians can now take paid vacations from work to perform a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Naguib Gabriel – the lawyer who successfully challenged the constitutionality of an article in a 1978 law for civil servants that grants Muslims paid vacation to perform the Hajj.
Azhar clerics say verbal divorce with no witnesses or immediate documentation valid Egypt`s Council of Senior Islamic Scholars upheld on Sunday the instant validity of verbal divorce without witnesses or documentation, but also stressed the need for quick official documentation.
Egypt MP calls for interior, communication ministers to account for Sisi phone leak Egyptian member of parliament and 25-30 coalition member Abdel-Hamid Kamal asked Parliament on Sunday to summon the ministers of interior and communication before the House of Representatives to discuss the leaking of a phone call between Egypt`s Foreign Minister and the country`s president.
Egypt parliament responds to Sadat`s accusations, denies misuse of funds Parliament`s secretary general said that member of parliament Anwar al-Sadat`s accusation that it bought cars in excess of the budget are groundless.
Economy
The We Want to Live campaign: Impoverishment is a political choice The campaign is the first of its kind to contest the economic policies marshaled by the government and Central Bank of Egypt and their effect on large swaths of the country’s society.
Egypt to raise sugar, cooking oil prices at subsidised outlets Egypt will raise the price of sugar by fourteen percent and cooking oil by twenty percent at government outlets starting on Wednesday, a Ministry of Supply official said on Tuesday.
IFFCO workers launch boycott campaign to protest sackings, arrests and sit-in dispersal Workers at the International Foodstuffs Co in Suez have launched a campaign calling for a boycott of the company’s products after twenty-seven workers were sacked, and a sit-in at the company was forcefully dispersed by police forces on 2 January.
Analysts: Population control will not solve Egypt’s increasing poverty rate In a speech at the Police Academy last week on the sixth anniversary of the 2011 revolution, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pointed to Egypt’s overpopulation crisis as one of the major challenges confronting the state and its efforts toward development, saying that the population is now four and a half times what it was in 1952.
Foreign Relations
Europe’s migration trade with Egypt Egypt-EU cooperation is following an established pattern of using development projects to influence migration management.
A year after discovering Regeni’s body, Cairo stalls and Rome seeks a way out Not much is happening with the investigation into researcher Giulio Regeni’s death except negotiations between Cairo and Rome over reinstating their ambassadors, an official source in Cairo told Mada Masr this week.
Egypt condemns attack on Paris Louvre, attacker believed to be Egyptian Egypt condemned on Saturday on Louvre museum in France which is believed to have been carried out by a twenty-nine-year-old Egyptian.
Father of alleged Louvre attacker says son is innocent - Reuters The father of an Egyptian man who was accused of attempting to carry out a terror attack on Louvre museum in Paris, insisted his son is not a terrorist.
No tension between Egypt and France after Paris attacker identified as Egyptian: Ministry Egypt`s foreign ministry has said that no tensions have arisen between Egypt and France, and that their relationship will not be affected after the nationality of the man behind an attack near Paris` Louvre Museum on Friday was revealed to be Egyptian.
Egypt denies bombing South Sudan rebels Egypt`s foreign ministry has denied allegations of being involved in strikes against South Sudanese rebels, in a statement on Saturday.
Egypt, UAE seek to bolster cooperation on regional challenges: Ministry Egypt and the UAE have said they aim to bolster mutual cooperation to overcome regional challenges and crises, the Egyptian foreign ministry said Saturday.
Egypt, UAE agree on establishing bilateral political consultation mechanism Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the United Arab Emirate’s Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan agreed on Saturday to establish a bilateral political consultation mechanism with meetings to be held every six months.
Domestic Security
Egypt’s army kills 6 terrorists in central Sinai: Spokesman Egypt’s army killed six terrorists and arrested another in central Sinai, the army’s spokesman said Saturday in a statement on their official Facebook page.
From Jadaliyya Egypt
عشوائيات ومجتمعات مسوّرة وفضاء عام: عن السياسات الثقافية العالمية والمشهد المعماري المأزوم في مصر Adham Selim examines the political underpinnings of Egypt’s architectural landscape.
Arabic
أحكام متفاوتة بالسجن بحق 227 إخوانيًا Egypt’s Military Court hands 227 Muslim Brotherhood defendants accused of violence life and fifteen-year prison sentences.
«المركزي»: 5.3 مليار دولار صادرات مصر خلال الربع الأول من «2016-2017» Egypt’s Central Bank says Egypt’s exports increased during the first quarter of 2016-2017.
أسئلة العدالة الاجتماعية تزداد تعقيداً في مصر Six years after the revolution, social justice in Egypt remains unfulfilled.
محام: عدم الاتفاق على "الأحوال الشخصية" يفقد الأقباط فرصة المواطنة Negotiations ongoing over the Christian Personal Status bill amid disagreement between Egypt’s Christian denominations.
منظمات المجتمع المدني تتعرض لأكبر هجمة إلكترونية.. واحتمال تورط حكومي According to the Egyptian Initiative for personal Rights report, seven civil society organizations were hacked in less than ten weeks in one of the “biggest cyber-attacks against NGOs and activists in Egypt.”
إحالة 3 طلاب متهمين بنشر الفكر الجهادي بالأميرية للمحاكمة العاجلة Three students were referred to urgent trial over joining a terrorist cell affiliated with ISIS
مصر | مفاجأة دستورية: قانون التجمهر ملغى من 89 عاما According to Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies report, the Assembly Law issued by the British occupation in 1914 and abolished by the Egyptian parliament in 1928 continues to be used unlawfully in Egyptian courts.
المبادرة المصرية: مصر اختارت توقيتا سيئا للتوسع في القروض الخارجية Egypt’s increased foreign debt will have a negative impact on its economy in light of shortage in hard currency and floatation of the Egyptian pound.
ننشر نص مشروع قانون المنظمات النقابية Al Shorouk publishes the trade union bill which will be discussed by the parliament for approval within the coming days.
مصر: "حصاد القهر في يناير".. ضحايا السلطة يزدادون According to an al-Nadeem report, victims of torture and state violence increased up to two hundred and thirty percent during January 2017.